Prizes and Awards

Awards and Prizes¶

A total of CAD $750 in prize money will be awarded across multiple categories in recognition of outstanding scientific inquiry, communication, and community engagement. In the event of a tie, the organizers may adjust prize allocations within the total prize pool.

Research Excellence Awards¶

These awards recognize submissions that demonstrate exceptional scientific reasoning, engagement with the datasets and tools, quality of analysis, and effectiveness of communication.

High School Category¶

Undergraduate Category¶

Science Communication Awards¶

These awards recognize participants who demonstrate exceptional ability to communicate scientific ideas to a broad audience through their video submission.

High School Category¶

Undergraduate Category¶

Community Engagement Award¶

This award recognizes a participant who has made an outstanding contribution to the Connectome 2026–2027 community through consistent engagement and initiative throughout the competition.

Examples may include active participation in workshops, discussions, journal clubs, office hours, and Discord activities; helping fellow participants troubleshoot problems or answer questions; sharing useful resources; contributing thoughtful insights and discussions; promoting the competition through social media; and otherwise helping to foster an inclusive, supportive, and intellectually curious learning environment.

The award celebrates participants who go above and beyond in supporting the broader community, inspiring others, and contributing to a positive and collaborative research culture.